An officer passed away. Four days later, thieves ransacked his house.

BROCKTON, Mass. – Police are searching for suspects who allegedly broke into a deceased officer’s home and stole his brand new camper, cash and other valuables just four days after he had passed away, CBS Boston reported.

Officials say that retired Holbrook Police Officer Bill Black passed away suddenly in his Brockton home on June 3.

Retired Holbrook Police Officer Bill Black passed away in his home from natural causes on June 3rd.

Neighbors reported that they knew there was a large amount of cash inside the home, which needed to be secured. They informed police, but that didn’t stop thieves from storming the place.

Four days later, multiple suspects allegedly broke into his house and robbed him of a significant amount of valuables, which police say included a brand new $50,000 Four Winds camping motor home, an exercise bike, a television and a large quantity of cash that the officer had made from fixing broken lawnmowers.

The suspects were caught on a surveillance camera from a neighbor’s home. Police are looking for any information from the public that could lead to their arrest.

A suspect is caught loading valuables into a truck outside the deceased officer’s home. (Lina Fontes)

Black’s friend, Richard Zaccaro Jr. said it was difficult to imagine what kind of person would do something like this.

“Ironically, he started the neighborhood crime watch program in this city way back in the 1980’s and in his own death, he was a victim,” said Zaccaro Jr. “It’s extremely tragic and I hope justice will be brought to the perpetrators who did this act.”

The 76-year-old former officer was found dead in his home by a neighbor back in June. Black was also a Navy veteran, Wicked Local reported.

“All the time I called him, he didn’t answer the phone,” neighbor Lina Fontes said. “I went there and found him dead in the bathroom. My neighbor called the ambulance. I was screaming in the street. … He was a nice man. He came over my house all the time. I cooked for him. He was just like a father for me.”

Police say that the case is difficult as the victim of the burglary is deceased.

“A glaring challenge of investigating and solving the burglary of a deceased person’s home is that the victim is no longer around,” said Brockton Police spokesperson Darren Duarte. “The victim is the best person to report whether a theft truly happened in the first place. It’s the victim who can explain to authorities what was stolen and is usually in the best position to identify items recovered by the police.”

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